Arsenal 3-2 Crystal Palace
by Layth Yousif
at Ashburton Grove

In CHRISTMAS week of all weeks, Jesus finally came alive.

With December 25 fast approaching, the previously unheralded, misfiring Arsenal striker showed the world that he is now reborn, after hitting an unexpected hat trick in 27 joyous minutes, to send the Gunners into the last four of the League Cup.

The goals flowed after Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka were introduced at the break, the pair providing all three assists to boost the rejuvenated Jesus, underlining just how important the duo are to the north Londoners’ hopes of ending the season with silverware.

Speaking after the match, Mikel Arteta said: “So pleased for him, it’s been a long period for him without goals and today to score three goals, the three type of goals he scored tonight as well and many actions he was involved, he looked really sharp.”

Arteta made wholesale changes, with one eye on the weekend’s Premier League appointment with the same opponents in south London.

Yet it was in the competition that the club has only won a measly twice that Jesus shone under lights, grabbing his first goals in 367 days.

Before kick-off, the team news dropped that the popular, but injury-prone Kieran Tierney would make his first start for Arsenal since the 2023 Community Shield — with the Scottish left-back one of eight changes Arteta made, along with selecting Thomas Partey, Jakub Kiwior, Jorginho, Ethan Nwaneri, Raheem Sterling, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus to start the match.

Eagles boss Oliver Glasner opted for 18-year-old Caleb Kporha to make his first start for the south Londoners, with the talented teenage defender drafted in for the suspended Daniel Munoz at right wing-back in the only change for the Eagles.

It was interesting to note that Kporha joined Palace at U16s level back in 2021, with his progress broadcast on Channel 4’s Football Dreams: The Academy, prior to earning his scholarship a year later.

In a start which reflected the priorities of the managers, Jean-Philippe Mateta put the Eagles ahead after 240 seconds as their 5,000 fans at the other end of the stadium celebrated wildly.

The goal was frustrating from an Arsenal point of view, as it was simply a ball over the top from Eagles keeper Dean Henderson, which the faltering Kiwior failed to deal with. Leaving Palace’s 27-year-old winner of the contest through on goal, before the former Lyon forward slotted past David Raya with aplomb to make it 1-0 to Glasner’s side.

In front of a raucous pre-Christmas crowd, different from the rather more staid support during league games, Trossard fired over when well-placed after being teed up by Raheem Sterling, making a rare start.

On 20 minutes, the visitors nearly scored a goal that would have been repeated for decades, with Palace’s dangerous No10 Eberechi Eye underlining their confidence by attempting an audacious lob from the halfway that narrowly flew over the desperately back-pedalling Raya’s head and bar.

Stung, Arsenal pushed forward, with Kporha showing his inexperience by fouling the tricky Trossard after being given the runaround by the Belgium attacker, leading to referee Andrew Madley handing the callow teenager a yellow card.

Just after the half hour mark, Sterling saw his excellent free-kick tipped over by Palace keeper Henderson as Arsenal searched for an equaliser in the north London rain.

As the sides went into the break with Palace in the ascendancy, Arteta decided that Nwaneri would make way for captain Martin Odegaard, while Partey was replaced by William Saliba along the Arsenal backline.

The move was soon to pay dividends nine minutes after the interval, as Odegaard teed up the previously misfiring Jesus, who lifted the ball over Henderson and into the Palace net, as the stadium erupted in recognition of their striker who never gave up, despite all his travails.

Not bad a week for the popular Brazil striker who only announced he and his wife were expecting their second child two days previously.

It was good to note the fair-minded Arsenal crowd showed their class to heartily cheer former Gunner Eddie Nketiah as he came on for Palace, on his return to north London.

As the rain lashed down, the home support also rose to applaud Tierney as Myles Lewis-Skelly replaced him, while Sterling was replaced by Bukayo Saka at the same time as Arsenal hunted for a second goal.

The extra quality told, as Saka set up Jesus to slot home his second, firing low into the far corner to make it 2-1 with nine minutes remaining.

To the joy of everyone assembled, the Brazil striker then grabbed his third when powering through the heart of the Palace backline before finishing with confidence to make it 3-1, and seal a popular treble, after Odegaard’s second assist of the night.

Thoughts of Wembley were momentarily quelled, when Nketiah — of all people — pulled a goal back for Palace with five minutes to go, with a superb header, to set up a tense finish.

However, the Arsenal held out to win a thrilling contest that hailed the rebirth of Jesus.

A Christmas fairytale indeed.